


Sex

by Eslon



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, F/M, Friends With Benefits
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:55:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23421301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eslon/pseuds/Eslon
Summary: Based on the song Sex by Eden"And I said what's up?What you been thinking?'Cause you've been staring at that roof so longI'd swear it's come aliveAnd she spoke nine wordsAnd now we're sinkingBut I can't find it in myself to want to lieTo keep this thing from going down"
Relationships: Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley
Comments: 3
Kudos: 17





	Sex

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to TheDistantDusk for being an amazing beta. Thanks also to FloreatCastellum for her London knowledge and help with this fic.

Harry watches her chest rise and fall; it’s slower now, to the point where if her eyes weren’t glued to the ceiling, he’d be sure that she’s asleep. He looks out the window past her, gathering up courage.The darkness of night illuminating the houses behind his little flat in the house conversion in Hampstead, courtesy of his parents and his starter income as an Auror. 

“What’s up?” he asks, watching her body tense slightly. Her eyes flick to him before going back to the ceiling. “Gin, what’s going on in that head of yours? ‘Cause you’ve been staring at that roof so long I swear it’s come alive.” 

She looks at him again before pulling the covers over her chest, suddenly shy and withdrawn and grabbing one of his t-shirts and slipping it on. Gathering her knees up to her chest, she turns away from him and looks out of the window. “That’s a roof,” she says, pointing to the extension one of the neighbours put in. She glances at the ceiling again. “That’s a ceiling.” She lets out a shaky laugh. 

He’s about to speak but she beats him to the punch. “Harry, I think you think too much of me.” His brain fails, which is 100% the worst thing to happen, because his silence is apparently not what she wanted to hear. She gathers up her clothes and changes before grabbing some floo powder and leaving out the floo.

Harry drops back into the covers, a horrible feeling setting in his stomach as he pulls the cover which she’d thrown off her back over himself. He can’t find it in himself to lie about how he’d known something had been coming for a while. As he tries to fall asleep, he knows that the only way they’d save himself pain is if he lied to her about everything. But he can’t do that to her.

/-/-/

Stressed beyond witts, he decides to go to his parents and hope they can help. But nothing goes his way in life, because when he walks through the Floo, Ellie and Ginny are sat in the kitchen, giggling over something. He can’t ignore them, and he can’t go back out of the floo without causing suspicion. 

He walks to them and gives them both a kiss on the cheek like he always does, and looks at the magazines they’re both reading. He smirks when he sees they’re all about their debut seasons in the Harpies. As he leans down to kiss Ginny’s cheek, he gets given a full onslaught of her perfume, sending him back to December a year and a half ago. 

It was a quiet dinner between family and friends. Ellie and Remy had returned from Hogwarts. Ellie had invited Ginny round to listen to the Harpies game with the Potters. At one point, Lily had called Ellie and Remy into the kitchen, and it was the first time he’d spent alone time with Ginny since their near kiss at Hogwarts in the spring just gone by. 

She gives him the shy look he’d later learn was anything-but-shy, and tapped the couch next to her, inviting him to sit. He does, and she slides up to him; he naturally wraps his arm around her. They’ve been close for so long that it’s instinctual at this point, but before anything more can happen, they hear the door open and move away, allowing Remy to sit in between them.

For the rest of the night they’re not alone, and it’s fine. The playful banter he, Ellie and Ginny have flies freely with Remy interjecting every now and then. As the night dies down, he sees Ellie and Ginny, heads close together, glancing at him, and he wonders if his sister knows about the near kiss. 

“Harry,” Ellie says, puppy dog eyes already equipped, “Will you drive Ginny home? It’s not long, you know how she hates the Floo.” He does, because it’s been a point of ridicule from him and her brothers for as long as he’s known her, and she will actively avoid it. Maybe it’s his sister always being able to play him like a fiddle or the shy looks from Ginny, but he forgets about apparition and agrees to drive her.

He goes to pull his car round the front and sees her on her own, waiting at the front gate, having already said goodbye to everyone. She opens the door and drops her bag at her feet before sitting cross legged in the car.

The first 5 minutes of the drive is uneventful whilst she fiddles around with the radio station, but once he pulls off the dual carriageway and on to a country road, things get interesting. He notices in the mirror that she’s shifting her weight around, turning to face him before turning away from him. 

“Hey Gin, you ok?” he asks, and watches as she cautiously turns to face him.

“Can you pull over?” she asks, and he is glad for living near so many farms; he has an easy little place to pull into off the road. The moonlight makes her look paler gives Harry a horrible thought.

“I swear to god Ginny if you get car sick too now,” he says, grateful when he sees a little smile sneak out.

“No, it’s just--” She leans over, pressing her lips against his. He freezes before relaxing into the kiss just as she breaks it off. She pulls back to look into his eyes before seeing that the fire in his eyes matches hers. “I’m only wanting a shag Harry, nothing more.” He nods, and she happily closes the gap between them before climbing onto his lap.

They slump into the backseats, both a bit out of breath and frazzled. Ginny climbs over the centre console, giving him a delightful view of her arse. She throws a pack of tissues over her shoulder before leaning back against the seat, giving him a playful smile. “Not bad at all, Harry.” 

The rest of the drive is full of heated looks through the mirror and he’s sure at multiple points they’ll need to pull over again -- and he’s sure she thinks the same. But luckily or unluckily, depending on what side of the coin you land on, they make it back to The Burrow without pulling over again. As they get close to the house, she gets him to stop before leaning over and giving a deep kiss. “Thanks for that, it was really good.” 

He drives her to the front door where he gets given a treacle tart for his kindness and a cup of tea. Before leaving, he glances to the light from the bathroom, knowing she’s showering in there.

He’s pulled back to present day by Ellie shoving a magazine under his nose. “Your 2 little sisters on the cover of Quidditch Quarterly, are you proud?” He can see Ginny’s face is caught between embarrassment and amusement.

“Yeah of course I am, now I’m gonna grab a drink.” He leaves to the kitchen, pausing when Ellie shouts, “I’ve had 2 glasses of wine, so you need to drive Gin home.” He nods, because how can you put into words how much you don’t want to be in a car with the girl who ran out of your flat the night before? 

Just like the December when they first hooked up, the rest of the evening is uneventful... until they get in his car as he pulls out the estate, and she looks at him. “You do know we’re going to your flat tonight.” 

Harry has no time to think as he and Ginny stumble through the door to his flat and push it closed behind them. It’s hurried and he gets the feeling Ginny knows she shouldn’t be doing this, but she is, and that hurts. Butas they lose clothing, his feelings being hurt can be put on the back burner.

They crash hard afterwards and both sleep for what must be hours before they wake up. This time, Ginny’s studying him, not the other way around. “I think this should be the last time.” He goes to take her hand but she pulls back and shakes her head.

“Why?” Is all he asks.

She looks at her hands and then looks at him. “It’s too dangerous. I mean, one time we’re gonna get caught and then what will happen? El will hate me and Ron will have your guts for garters, even the fucking potion isn’t 100%. If I get pregnant, my career’s screwed and we are only fucking so we’d make awful parents together.” 

In his time as an auror, he’s learned when people are plucking things out of thin air; he knows she is, probably because she’s protecting herself from her feelings. Or lack thereof. 

“This means nothing, remember Gin?” he says, and he sees her steady herself before sighing and looking to him. “It still does. This is just sex between us, so one last time?” She pauses before dropping the sheet and letting him flip them over so she’s below him. 

/-/-/

His friends and family are confused as to why he’s so down and depressed 2 weeks after he last saw Ginny. It’s the longest they’d gone without seeing each other in 6 months. This was only made worse when Ginny put in the worst performance of her professional career and was being called a fluke. 

Ellie said she’d been down, saying that she’d had a bad date and was drained from the experience. Mum said she’d be fine in time, and of course Dad agreed, all the while Harry stayed quiet, knowing it was his fault.

He got home and nearly owls her asking her to come over. Whether it’s for her or him he’s not sure, but he wants to talk to her and make her feel better because he feels like shit too, but he wants to do it for him. To have her in his room again, on his bed and maybe in his arms.

He thinks back to why she said they’d have to stop: “We’d make awful parents together.” That stings way more than anything should sting from a 5 word sentence, but it’s been tearing him up inside.

He doesn’t know again whether it’s hurting because he’d want to have kids with her, or because she thinks it’d ruin her career.

/-/-/

He’d finally given up on her coming back to him and slowly started becoming social again. Being social and work meant he’d forgotten to restock the fridge, so he decides to head to Pavarti’s restaurant and get some food there. Flooing ahead, she takes his order. 

He runs along the river backing onto Diagon Alley until he gets to the restaurant. He’s only in there 30 seconds when he sees Ginny giggling with a man who he thinks is a quidditch player. Clearly on a date. 

He is sure time stops the moment she sees him. Her eyes flick up and down his body, which he is aware has a light layer of sweat from his run. Her tongue subconsciously darts out to lick her lips. 

They both realise in this hour long stare (which is no more than 5 seconds) that they need to decide for sure that they’re done, that they don’t want to sleep together again. He doesn’t want to know the answer. The fear of the girl he let take his heart without wanting to share his is a thought too painful to bear, so he quickly takes his order and leaves. 

He’s scared shitless sprinting home, the bag rattling with every thud of his feet. Seeing his sister walking to his house doesn’t help him. She sees the bag and smiles. “Oooh, did you see Ginny?” 

He shakes his head violently, not wanting to think of her.

“Harry, did you sprint home?” his sister asks concern, showing on her face.

“Yeah, I was trying to beat my record for the fastest time to her shop and back.” He struggles to get his breath back as they climb the stairs to his little flat. “Did you need something?” he asks as he places his bag on his kitchen counter. 

She looks around his room cautiously, almost like she’s looking for something. “Hmm, yeah it was silly of me to not think about it but she started to seem down after she was last at home, did she ask you to drop off at a restaurant or a guys flat?” She peers at him from his window.

He looks at her and he gets a feel of a detective interviewing a prime suspect, without trying to arouse suspicion. “No El, she asked me to drop her off at The Burrow like usual.” She looks at him, her eyes narrowing, “You know I asked Molly if Gin seemed upset when you dropped her off but Molly said you didn’t and that actually she apparated home in the middle of the night.” She walks around to his fridge opening it and taking out a butterbeer. “Harry if she asked you to drop her off at a restaurant or a lads flat, it’s fine I won’t hurt you for lying about it.” She’s so smooth about it he’s sure she’d make a great auror.

“I-” 

He watches in horror as the door to his flat opens and the girl in question steps in, “Harry we need to”-- she sees Ellie and pauses --“plan El’s birthday present.” She lies comfortably but Ellie knows her too well.

“Gin, my birthday is in 9 months.” Realisation dawns on Ellie’s face she spins and turns to Harry, “You were the bad date, you said you’d never date a friend of mine.” She’s starting to go red in the face.

“El, he wasn’t a bad date, we aren’t dating and never have been,” Ginny says carefully.

“Your date with Mark,” El says. “He’s been wanting your number for months.” Harry ignores the pang of jealousy that rages through his chest.

“Fit but boring, like I said. Me and Harry have been planning your birthday present.” She keeps the lie going despite his sister not believing an inch of it. 

“Yeah that’s why I didn’t drop her off at the burrow, the other week.” Harry hopes that the two of them lying together will make her believe them. 

“Ok, Ok nice lie you guys nearly had me, so explain this.” She walks round to “Ginny’s side” of his bed and pulls out the tupperware box full of Ginny’s leftover stuff including bras and knickers. “You two both know that, 1, 2 and 3 pairs of these Harpies bras and one of the knickers are player exclusive and not available anywhere else.” 

He sees Ginny swear to the side of him, her eyes looking at the box like it’d personally offended her. 

“So, if you aren’t dating what are you doing, oh Merlin no, you are fuck buddies aren’t you?” Ellie asks, her complexion paling as if she was going to be sick.

“Not anymore,” he says, unsure, because Ginny showing up now threw a major spanner into the works.

Ellie looks ready to explode at his admission but Ginny speaks first. “El please can you go? I need to speak to Harry badly and then once i’ve done that you can lecture us, berate us, scold us even kill us if you see it fit,” she says, casting quick glances between the siblings. 

Ellie pauses her eyes searching her best friends. “Ok but I want answers.” They both nod and she quickly steps into the floo leaving them behind in an awkward silence. 

“I’m so fucking sad Harry, I’m almost sure it’s because the dumb fucking prick you are you made me catch stupid feelings.” She sinks into his bed and looks at the box punching it to the floor. 

“Thanks Gin, you aren’t the only one, I feel fucking awful because I should’ve never let this get far yet alone to the point where either of us caught feelings.” He’s careful not to move towards her too fast. “I was at the game and the Ginny who was so attractive at Hogwarts was gone, the one who’d turn me on when she flew broom and played quidditch wasn’t there. The Ginny I saw was scared and nervous and that was fucking terrifying Gin.”

He sits next to her and lets her head fall onto his shoulder. “I hate this,” she mutters.

“Gin, do you remember why you said it was the last time?” 

“Because if I got pregnant and we were only fucking it’d be awful.” Yep, still stings, he thinks.

“What if we weren’t only fucking would it be awful?” He can hear the fear in his own voice and she must have sensed it too with how soft her eyes are when she looks at him.

“What are you saying? You promised El you’d never date one of her friends.” She’s so vulnerable with the brown eyes which have a way of compelling so much emotion. 

“Well I once told Ellie I’d never go to Hogwarts without her and I am pretty sure shagging her best mate is one of the subclauses in the dating rule, so the fact she hasn’t returned to bludgeon either of us yet. Ginny do you want to be my girlfriend?”

“Let die to let live.”


End file.
